storm
by not a straight trumpet
Summary: I can't come up with good titles. (NeonClan challenge)


It was a late, muggy summer afternoon as the Kitauji High School concert band sat outside on break. Dark clouds floated overhead, and nobody was surprised when those clouds produced a heavy rainstorm and sent the band members dashing for the shelter of the school building. Kumiko, Hazuki and Midori headed for the closest door, holding their backpacks above their heads for protection.

As the three girls ran inside for cover, Kumiko noticed a familiar shape running down the hill, getting soaked by the pouring rain. The first thunderclap coaxed her away from the door as she went further inside.

"It looks like we'll be staying inside for a little while until this storm lets up," Taki announced. "Call your parents if you can." As the band dispersed, Kumiko began to wander the school in search of Reina, calling her name occasionally while carrying a blanket she had found in the closet.

Several minutes and staircases later, Kumiko finally saw Reina sitting by the window, shivering and damp from being outside during the beginnings of the storm.

"Hey." Reina looked up from the window. "I thought you might need this." Kumiko held out a blanket. "I found it in the closet. I think it was from that day we were all practicing with these in the room. Don't worry, I dusted it off." Reina muttered a quick "thanks" and wrapped the blanket around herself, still shivering slightly. Kumiko looked out the window.

"It's raining pretty hard out there, isn't it?" she noted. Reina nodded. "Why are you sitting here? Isn't it loud?"

"I like the sound of it," Reina responded, pulling the blanket tighter. "It's calming." Just as she spoke, there was a flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap. Kumiko could have sworn that she saw Reina jump in fear.

 _Calming, huh?_ Kumiko thought. Reina fiddled with the ends of the blanket nervously. "So, how long do you think we'll be stuck here?" Kumiko asked. Reina shrugged.

"Probably for a few hours," she responded. Another thunderclap rumbled in the distance. Reina stiffened and clutched the blanket, eyes darting back and forth.

"Are you . . . afraid of thunderstorms?" Kumiko asked.

"No, of course not!" Reina yelped. "Not at all!"

". . ."

"Maybe a little bit," she admitted. Kumiko blinked. She hadn't been expecting an answer.

"Hey, it's okay, you're safe here," Kumiko murmured. Reina tentatively pushed part of the blanket aside, leaving room for Kumiko. She nudged the open blanket space, and Kumiko scooted inside. The blanket was bigger than she had thought. Reina was warm and soft, and Kumiko could feel her small hand wrapping around Kumiko's. Another thunderclap, louder than any of the others, could be heard from the room. "There's nothing to be afraid of." Kumiko felt herself blushing as Reina pressed her entire body against Kumiko's. They remained like that for several minutes, relying only on each other's breath and the warm embrace of the blanket.

Asuka chose that moment to barge in unannounced. Kumiko and Reina both jumped and became tangled in the blanket. The older girl merely chuckled and left the room, leaving Kumiko and Reina in utter confusion over what had just happened.

"So . . ." Kumiko mumbled, blushing furiously while attempting to untangle herself from Reina.

"She's going to tell the others," Reina commented nonchalantly, pulling her leg out of the blanket. Kumiko blinked, registering the information before scrambling out of the blanket, somehow blushing even more than before.

"N-no, I, uh, I don't think she'd do that, would she?" Kumiko yelped.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Reina responded, shrugging as she quietly grabbed Kumiko's hand and helped pull her up from the tangled mess of the blanket.

"Eh?"

"The storm looks like it's almost over." Kumiko looked outside, and sure enough the sun was beginning the poke through the clouds and the tree branches. Kumiko noticed that the soft light illuminated Reina's features so that the other girl almost resembled some kind of otherworldly spirit, faintly glowing in the dusty classroom.

"She's staring at Kousaka-san again," Hazuki whispered, face pressed against the door window.

"It's still seriously creepy," Midori squeaked, standing on tiptoes in order to get a better look at the events unfolding in the classroom.

"Quiet!" Asuka snapped, actually being louder than the two first-years. "Just watch."

"So, uh, does that mean we should go back to the band room?" Kumiko stammered, still acutely aware of Reina's small, warm hand closed around hers.

"I don't see why not," Reina responded, kicking the discarded blanket aside. The two girls walked out of the room, unaware of Asuka, Hazuki, and Midori pressed against the wall.

"You won't tell the others about what happened during the storm, right?" Reina asked quietly as the two girls walked home from school, the ground still damp from the downpour.

"Of course not," Kumiko responded. "Maybe next time there's a storm we can hang out at my place. I have a lot of really great movies that I've always wanted to share with someone, and it'd definitely be a better use for a blanket. Watching movies, I mean."

"I'll make sure to remember that," Reina murmured. "This is the way to my house. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah."


End file.
